A federal judge ruled Monday it was illegal for the Trump administration to cancel several hundred research grants, adding that the cuts raise serious questions about racial discrimination. US District Judge William Young in Massachusetts said the administration’s process was “arbitrary and capricious” and that it did not follow long-held government rules and standards when it abruptly canceled grants deemed to focus on gender identity

The federal judge said the NIH violated federal law by arbitrarily canceling more than $1 billion in research grants because of their perceived connection to DEI initiatives.

Judge William Young called the Trump administration's cancellations "illegal" and cited racial discrimination in his ruling that restores over 360 grants nationwide.